Gulf News | From Beirut Butchery to Dubai Comfort Food Institution

Aug 07, 2026

Gulf News | From Beirut Butchery to Dubai Comfort Food Institution: How Safadi family built a three-generation Lebanese hot spot without ‘Succession-style drama’

Dubai: If you’ve watched HBO’s hit show Succession, you’ll know one thing: Building a business is hard. Passing it on is even harder.

So when I jokingly ask brothers Fadl and Abed Safadi whether their family has ever resembled the Roys—the billionaire clan whose empire is fuelled by sibling rivalry, bruised egos and inheritance battles—they laugh. “We don’t have Succession-style conflict or crazy drama like the show,” Fadl says with a laugh, glancing at his brother Abed, who nodded furiously. And this answer was no accident. The Safadis’ story began not with a restaurant empire but with a humble butchery in Lebanon.

Their grandfather first built a livelihood around quality meat before their father transformed the business into a restaurant in Beirut. In 2000, he took an even bigger gamble, bringing the family concept to Dubai, a city that was only beginning to emerge as a global dining destination. Twenty-five years later, that leap of faith has grown into one of the UAE’s best-known homegrown hospitality brands. On some days, you can even spot UAE royalty making a quick stop.

And, if you’ve lived in Dubai long enough, chances are you’ve broken warm Arabic bread at Al Safadi, scooped up creamy hummus, tucked into smoky grilled meats or ordered one of its generous family platters after a long day. For many residents, it isn’t simply a Lebanese restaurant; it has quietly become comfort food, celebration food and, on the busiest days, an extension of home.

Read the full article on GulfNews.